The Patriot Post Digest 6-3-2016

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-3-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Mid-Day Digest

Jun. 3, 2016

THE FOUNDATION

“Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.” —John Adams (1808.)

Mourning With Our Armed Forces1

Thursday was a particularly tragic day for the U.S. military. While our own Mark Alexander celebrated the graduation of his son from the U.S. Air Force Academy, one of the Thunderbirds conducting the traditional flyover later crashed. The pilot safely ejected just before putting his F-16 down in a field.

Not so fortunate, however, was a Blue Angels pilot killed in a crash while practicing for the Great Tennessee Airshow in Nashville this weekend. Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss went down with his F/A-18, almost surely to save civilian lives by maintaining control of where the plane crashed. He leaves behind a wife and two young children. “It’s hard to put into words right now, but it’s beautiful that a person can live and die engaged in their life’s pursuits,” said his grandfather, Dolph Kuss. “This was his dream since he was a child, to be an aviator, a flier.”

“I started flying when I was a young kid,” Capt. Kuss said in a video the Navy posted last year2. “I always had a love for it, worked really hard through school, went to college and eventually got into the military. I wanted to fly the fastest, meanest thing I could. And that’s why I’m here today, because I was fortunate enough to get to fly the F-18 Hornet. It’s been a great experience every time I strap into it.”

Godspeed, Captain.

Finally, in Fort Hood, Texas, at least five soldiers perished when their truck overturned in raging flood waters. Four more are missing, and rescuers are still searching.

Our Armed Forces personnel face daily danger, and thousands have given their lives in fighting for our nation abroad. That’s why we end each edition with this note: Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.

Thursday’s striking events are a pointed reminder that such prayers are always needed, even when service personnel are close to home.

TOP RIGHT HOOKS

King Obama Will Really Miss Air Force One3

During his remarks to the graduating cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Barack Obama’s insulting and out-of-touch attitude toward our nation’s warriors was on full display. He praised the Air Force for, well, being great air stewards, telling its cadets, “You take good care of me. You are always on time. You never lose my luggage. I don’t have to take off my shoes before I get on. So I am really going to miss Air Force One, as well as the incredible airmen that I’ve come to know.”

Where to start? Air Force One has become a symbol of Obama’s decadence4 — he’s living like royalty at taxpayer expense. In mid-2014, the cost to jet Obama around reached5 the half-billion-dollar mark. We’ll never begrudge a sitting president the travel that’s required for managing the affairs of the state, but Obama’s lavish fundraising runs6 and media appearances7 have long been over the top — especially where the first family could have flown together but chose to fly separately. (For the record, flying Air Force One for an hour costs taxpayers about $228,000. And while this may seem like chump change to those who note that our national debt has surpassed $19 trillion, the behavior is symptomatic of Obama’s profligacy.)

Perhaps it was only fitting, then, for the commander in chief who has used the military as a petri dish for all sorts of social experiments to thank our warriors not for their sacrifice but for keeping track of his luggage.

In February, Obama said in a television appearance, “I don’t miss flying commercial, taking your shoes off and all that.” Newsflash: While Obama is burning millions in taxpayers' money on flight, thousands of Americans are missing their commercial flights because the TSA cannot screen travelers in a timely manner8. What a let-them-eat-cake moment.

No Good Jobs in the May Jobs Report9

The only jobs added to Barack Obama’s economy in May were the ones created by government regulation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released what Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey calls10 the worst report in five years. Indeed, the numbers are bad: Only 38,000 jobs were added in May. The number of Americans who are doing part-time work when they want a full-time position increased by almost a half million. The percentage of Americans who are gainfully employed shrunk by 0.2 points and now only 62.6% of the population is holding down a job. That last statistic is why BLS could spin the numbers to say the unemployment rate declined to 4.7%.

According to BLS data, the lone industry to grow in May was the health care industry — an industry that’s growing only because ObamaCare regulations11 are forcing Americans to spend more of their money in the industry. Ahead of the jobs report, Obama visited Elkhart, Indiana12, to tout his seven years of bringing a statist touch to the economy. It was from Elkhart in 2009 that Obama argued for a stimulus bill to flood the well-connected businesses of the nation with cash. Friday’s jobs report is a reminder of just how lackluster the “recovery” has been, thanks to his policies.

The ray of hope in the jobs report is that wages increased by five cents in May, so the average hourly wage is $25.59 an hour. Wages are still slowly growing, which might increase consumer spending, which might help revive the economy. But GDP grew13 just 0.5% in the first quarter of 2016, and this jobs report hints that the second will be equally anemic.

BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

Todd Starnes: Boykin Bounced: Fort Riley Cancels Hero’s Prayer Breakfast Speech14
Caroline Camden Lewis: The Therapists Win in the Bathroom Debate15
Jonah Goldberg: Katie Couric, More Reality TV Star Than Real Journalist16

For more, visit Right Opinion17.

FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Foreign Policy Suddenly Makes a Difference18

By Michael Swartz

Graduates of the Air Force Academy, including the son of our publisher, Mark Alexander, endured their commander in chief’s final service academy commencement address19 Thursday. Barack Obama made the case that these graduates would be joining the world’s strongest military, which is true, albeit less true than eight years ago. But he also warned of the “false comfort” that an isolationist foreign policy would create.

Yet while Obama broke his 35-minute address down into several lessons he claimed to have learned during his time in the Oval Office, the only real mistake he admitted to was in Libya: “We were right to launch an air campaign to prevent [Moammar] Gadhafi from massacring innocent civilians,” said Obama, “but we didn’t do enough to plan for the day after, when deep-rooted tribalism plunged Libya into disorder.”

That’s putting it mildly.

If Obama can only think of one mistake, we can note others. There are any number of military experts and other observers, including those in our humble shop20, who believe that creating a vacuum by premature withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan — the former as a cynical re-election ploy to make the case that “al-Qaida is on the run” — also led those nations into “disorder” caused by a resurgent Islamic terror state Obama once dismissed as the “JV team.”

Yet Obama claims to have drawn the opposite lesson. “We’ve learned,” Obama pontificated Thursday, “that often the best way to defeat terrorists is not by sending large numbers of American ground forces to occupy and patrol foreign cities and towns. It’s better to train and build up local partners — they’re the ones who have to stabilize their own countries over the long term.” That wasn’t the message he sent in 2011, when he embraced the isolationism of leaving the “local partners” of Iraq to the wolves of radical Islam, fearing that fighting them in place might cost him another term.

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The Patriot Post Digest 6-3-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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With total lack of self-awareness, Obama boasted, “The United States is better positioned to lead in the 21st century than any other nation.”

On the contrary, Obama’s foreign policy legacy will be one of “leading from behind” in such a manner that even his allies on the Left21 took notice. “Obama … has constantly reassured Americans that doing nothing is the smart and moral policy,” wailed Fred Hiatt of The Washington Post last September. And along for the ride22 in those formative years of leading from behind was one Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Which brings us to her highly touted foreign policy speech23 Thursday. As she pivots toward a general election campaign against Donald Trump, Clinton took direct aim at her opponent’s fitness for the job. She was short on specifics regarding her own ideas but long on comparisons to what she felt would be Trump’s “dangerously incoherent” ideas.

Unlike Obama, she didn’t own up to even a single mistake she made during her tenure as secretary of state. Instead, Hillary revealed a six-point plan that at times had little to do with foreign policy. For example, she opened with a call for “investing in our infrastructure, education and innovation” before talking about harnessing the power of our allies and the advantages of diplomacy — advantages that gave us the Iranian nuclear deal and the “reset” with Russia. Surely some in the audience bit their lip to keep from laughing out loud when Hillary promised to be “firm but wise with our rivals.”

And if that wasn’t enough of a howler, Clinton later noted, “I remember being in the Situation Room with President Obama, debating the potential bin Laden operation. The president’s advisors were divided. The intelligence was compelling but far from definitive. The risks of failure were daunting. The stakes were significant for our battle against al-Qaida and our relationship with Pakistan. Most of all, the lives of those brave SEALs and helicopter pilots hung in the balance. It was a decision only the president could make. And when he did, it was as crisp and courageous a display of leadership as I’ve ever seen.”

Just thinking back to the staged situation room photo of Obama, clad with a jacket over his golf shirt and looking slack-jawed at the monitors, knowing that he’d just pulled himself away from “15 games of spades” according to a loose-lipped aide — it doesn’t exactly evoke “crisp and courageous.”

One of Clinton’s hits against Trump would be far better directed against herself and Obama. “Trump says over and over again, ‘The world is laughing at us.’ He’s been saying this for decades; he didn’t just start this year,” she said. “You’ve got to wonder why somebody who fundamentally has so little confidence in America, and has felt that way for at least 30 years, wants to be our president.” One might ask why Obama and Clinton, who openly despise America, want that position.

No doubt Hillary scored some successful hits on her Republican rival, but we can scarcely think of a worse messenger. And looming in the background is Clinton’s email malfeasance, through which she actually put U.S. national security at risk. All Trump has done so far is tweet.

Indeed, Trump responded to her speech by tweeting, “Bad performance by Crooked Hillary Clinton! Reading poorly from the telepromter! [sic] She doesn’t even look presidential!”

Bad performance: It’s the hallmark of the Obama/Clinton foreign policy.

MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE

ANALYSIS: What Limiting Principle?24
Obama Turns to Squelch the gotcha210 Industry25
Violence Surrounding Rallies Plays to Trump’s Message26
Muslim Turns Old Glory Into a Weapon27
Immigration Numbers Rose in 2014 and 201528

TOP HEADLINES

Speaker Ryan Formally Backs Trump29
DOJ Moves to Protect Disgraced Ex-Phoenix VA Head30
ACLU Leader Resigns Over Transgender Bathroom Issue31

For more, visit Patriot Headline Report32

OPINION IN BRIEF

Todd Starnes: “A Kansas military base abruptly canceled an upcoming prayer breakfast that featured retired Lt. General Jerry Boykin after complaints were lodged that Boykin is anti-Muslim and anti-gay. Military Religious Freedom Foundation founder Mikey Weinstein told the Army Times that Boykin’s invitation had caused great angst among soldiers at Fort Riley — leading some to break down in tears. … I reached out to Fort Riley and they confirmed that the prayer breakfast has been called off. They blamed the cancellation on a scheduling conflict and said it would be rescheduled. … Now, it’s important to follow the timeline on this story. Boykin was extended an invitation to speak on March 31. On June 1, the MRFF filed its complaint and 23 hours later Fort Riley canceled the breakfast. However, Fort Riley denies the MRFF complaint had anything to do with its last-minute decision to drop the prayer breakfast, calling it a ‘coincidence of unfortunate timing.’ Folks, now you know that I deeply admire and respect the Armed Forces, but you could plant a mighty big crop of butter beans with the kind of fertilizer coming out of Fort Riley. Mr. Weinstein makes a very comfortable living by bullying the military into eradicating public displays of the Christian faith within the Armed Forces.”

SHORT CUTS

Insight: “Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.” —Frédéric Bastiat (1801-1850)

Upright: “Unless we are able to draw the line somewhere and say that biology is the absolute standard for gender, it will only turn into disaster, confusion and a society that doesn’t know up from down and right from left. And the most unfortunate thing is that the collateral damage in the government’s grand social experiment are the lives of people. Young children who don’t know their right from their left are the ones who are the big losers in this game. The winners? The therapists. And that seems like the biggest loss to me.” —Caroline Camden Lewis

Look who’s talking: “The primary story that Republicans have been telling about the economy is not supported by the facts. It’s just not. They repeat it a lot, but it’s not supported by the facts. But they say it anyway. Now, why is that? It’s because it has worked to get them votes. At least at the congressional level.” —Barack Obama

Never heard of the Leftmedia? “I’m concerned when I watch the direction of our politics. I mean, we have been hearing this story for decades: Tales about welfare queens, talking about ‘takers,’ talking about the 47%. It’s the story that is broadcast every day on some cable news stations, on right-wing radio. It is pumped into cars and bars and VFW halls all across America. … It’s no wonder people think Big Government is the problem.” —Barack Obama

Alpha Jackass: “My reading of Scripture tells me that [the] Golden Rule is pretty high up there in terms of my Christian belief.” —Barack Obama justifying his transgender bathroom order

Non Compos Mentis: “#WearOrange because everyone should be able to raise their children without the fear of gun violence.” —Planned Parenthood

And last… “Leftists cause chaos at GOP event, so clearly the headline is ‘Violence Erupts at Republican Rally.’” —Twitter satirist @hale_razor

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson

Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.